Kathmandu, December 9

The government has expedited construction of a landfill site at Bancharedanda on the border of Nuwakot and Dhading districts for sustainable waste management in Kathmandu Valley.

The under-construction project spreads across Chatredeurali-9 of Dhading, and Okharpauwa-4 of Nuwakot. Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development Hitraj Pandey today inspected the landfill site to take stock of the progress in its construction.

“It is highly critical to carry out a systematic development of the landfill site to address the problems of waste management plaguing the Valley for decades,” Minister Pandey said, adding he would discuss it with chief executives of all municipalities in the Valley.

Pandey also said he would raise the issue in the Council of Ministers for completion of the project without any delay. “The government should also take into account the impacts of the landfill site on the environment and people of Bancharedanda, and take immediate steps to address health and development concerns of the locals. It will motivate people to contribute to waste management in the Valley,” added Pandey.

The Valley produces an average of 1,000 tonnes of garbage daily, and nearly 70 per cent of them are disposed in Okharpauwa Sisdole Landfill Site developed with the support of JICA. A study conducted by JICA in 2005 had suggested that around 350 tonnes of waste could be disposed of in the landfill site daily for another 23 years.

Bishwa Mani Gyawali, executive director at Solid Waste Management Technical Support Centre under the Ministry of Urban Development, warned it was nearly impossible for the Sisdol Landfill Site to continue to hold waste as was close to saturation point.

“If the Bancharedanda-based landfill site is not completed within the next two years, we will not be able to collect waste from the Valley. This landfill site is the only sustainable option for now, and must be completed within two years,” Gyawali said.

The under-construction landfill site is expected to hold waste for at least 20 years after its completion. The government has acquired 1,792 ropanis of land for the development of necessary infrastructures with an estimated budget of Rs 2.45 billion.

Nearly 6 km access road has been constructed to the landfill site. Gyawali said construction of a bridge over the Kolpu Khola would be completed within a year. The leachate produced from the garbage will not be discharged into a rivulet directly.

The government plans to install a plant to process the toxic liquid.